The Benedictine University football team opened the conference schedule by losing a high-octane affair to Concordia University Wisconsin by a 48-40 final at home.
Concordia Wisconsin opened the game with an 11-play drive but did not score after stalling at the Benedictine eight-yard line. Benedictine opened on offense with a three-and-out. Concordia Wisconsin turned a short field into a 7-0 lead on a 15-yard scramble with 7:18 left in the opening quarter. Evontrae Pierce posted the first turnover of the game by recording an interception late in the first. Joshua Williams took advantage by plunging in from two yards out to tie the game with 4:22 remaining in the first.
An interception in the endzone set up a big play for the visitors at the end of the first as an 80-yard touchdown in the final minute put Concordia Wisconsin ahead 14-7. Benedictine missed a 47-yard field goal attempt early in the second but was able to tie the game after stopping Concordia Wisconsin on fourth down again. Nick Sternad scooted 14 yards to finish a six-play drive and tie the game with 7:39 left in the half. Concordia Wisconsin marched 79 yards to answer and open a 21-14 lead with just over four minutes to play in the half. Benedictine continued the counter attack with an 81-yard drive in which the team did not face a third down. Alex Mitchell caught a 37-yard pass early in the drive to help set up a six-yard touchdown catch from Brandon Moore, but the extra point failed and Concordia Wisconsin led 21-20 at the half.
Benedictine kicked off the second half with a lengthy 14-play drive to lead for the only time in the contest. Williams hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass to put Benedictine ahead 26-21 with 9:03 left in the third. Benedictine converted on four third downs to sustain the effort. A 60-yard rush helped Concordia Wisconsin counter and re-take the lead in just 42 seconds at 27-26. The lead reached 34-26 after a 79-yard drive late in the third.
Benedictine grinded out another long drive to battle within 34-32, marching 85 yards on 13 plays. Sternad finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown to begin the fourth quarter. Concordia Wisconsin needed just one play to extend the lead to two scores, using a 78-yard touchdown pass to lead 41-32. Aided by a penalty after Benedictine was pinned deep, Concordia Wisconsin extended the lead to 48-32 with 9:26 left. Moore picked up where he left off last season by breaking away for a 71-yard touchdown to draw Benedictine within 48-40 with 8:43 left. The defense forced a punt and the offense drove onto the Concordia Wisconsin half before stalling and the visitors were able to grind out the clock on the ground to end the contest.
The contest featured over 1,100 yards of offense with Concordia Wisconsin rolling up 630 and Benedictine adding a season high 486. Benedictine posted 152 on the ground and 334 through the air. Sternad completed 27 passes in his first start, accumulating 334 yards with three touchdowns and added two touchdowns on the ground. Moore made his return by catching five passes for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jameel Stephens also snared five passes. Williams totaled 96 yards rushing and 49 yards receiving with a touchdown each way. Concordia Wisconsin featured a 175-yard rusher and a pair of receivers with over 140 yards. Quarterback Aaron Nixon accounted for seven touchdowns.
Scottie Bobeck finished with 11 tackles to lead the defense. Jack Drummond added 10. Both players posted a sack with Drummond tallying four tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Benedictine posted four sacks and nine tackles for loss in the game.
Benedictine (0-4, 0-1 NACC) travels to Rockford next week following a string of three consecutive home contests.
Benedictine Drops Shootout with Concordia Wisconsin
/seasons/2018/boxscores/20180929_mngi.xml
2018
Concordia (Wis.)
48
Benedictine
40
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia (Wis.) (3-1) | 14 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 48 |
| Benedictine (0-4) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 40 |
Sep 29, 2018